Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used by Peter Block

Aug 31, 2014 Greg rated it it was ok

Since Goodreads lost my old review while trying to upload it, I'll give you this. I think Block focuses a lot more on being blameless as a consultant than on being effective. I agree in principle with lots of what he says, but the overarching idea was the downfall of this book in my eyes. I can't stand the kind of advice that admonishes well-paid experts to constantly deny their responsibility for the outcomes of projects and to distribute the blame for their projects by coercing everyone in the ...more

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Aug 08, 2014 Don Massenzio rated it really liked it

A number of years ago, I found myself without a job for the first time in my adult life. At 40, this was scary until I woke up one morning, created a subchapter-S corporation and became a consultant. This book, along with others by Peter Block, was a significant help in getting started and having the confidence to persevere for two years independently. Now I'm a consultant in a big four firm and the things I learned from this book still ring true. ...more

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Jul 21, 2018 Tim rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it, business

From the dust jacket: "Flawless Consulting affirms the notion that authentic behavior and personal relationships are the key to technical and business success." That's really the book in a nutshell. Not that that isn't a valuable insight. But you can save yourself a bunch of time by not reading the book, because the book mainly restates that premise over and over again using every combination of words the author could think of to say basically same thing.

The author makes the case that people ar From the dust jacket: "Flawless Consulting affirms the notion that authentic behavior and personal relationships are the key to technical and business success." That's really the book in a nutshell. Not that that isn't a valuable insight. But you can save yourself a bunch of time by not reading the book, because the book mainly restates that premise over and over again using every combination of words the author could think of to say basically same thing.

The author makes the case that people are emotional creatures, and as a consultant, the best way to approach clients is to build relationships in order to build trust. And the author makes the complementary case that the wrong way to approach clients is to diagnose their problems rationally and explain to them what they need to change in order to be more successful. This is an important insight, and probably more true today than at any time since the beginning of the Enlightenment. If you successfully engage with the client at an emotional level, the client is less likely to view you with resistance.

But then the author undermines his premise with chapters on healthcare reform and education reform. Not that these systems don't need reform, but the author posits that Flawless Consulting is the answer to what ails these systems, and recounts a doctor and a high school teacher who claim to have used this book to reform their respective institutions. Color me skeptical. For one thing, the surgeon was apparently fired, because the healthcare system just wasn't ready for the greatness of Flawless Consulting. The teacher changed the paradigm to put the students in charge of their learning. "This is based on the reality that successful learning is random discovery." The teacher told the students, "If you are tired, take a nap." Tests are bad, because students become "performers" rather than "learners." In this model, the teacher doesn't teach, but is rather a consultant, and the student is a self-directed adventurer, encouraged to fail often, "since if the goal is learning, failure is a big way it happens." One hopes that none of these students are surgeons or engineers today.

These two chapters then cast the rest of the book in a different light. In an Enlightened world, the consultant would engage with clients in a rational, analytical way, diagnose their problems, and present solutions based on evidence and logic. The author makes the case that people are by and large too emotional for that. Better to focus on building relationships, and be authentic, and that's really all the consultant has to do. The client will then magically become successful. "The world will provide the events that will force movement. Life provides the disturbance. We do not have to induce change, drive it, or guide it. All we have to do is join it." The consultant doesn't need to teach or advise or be any kind of motive force. "It will be enough if we simply show up."

This manner of consultancy may work in, say, social services, but organizations that build bridges or airplanes might want to think hard before taking this leap of faith. It may be better to sum up the book this way. There are people in this world who are analytical thinkers, and can be approached in an analytical, rational way. Then there are people in this world who are emotional thinkers, and who need to be approached in an emotional, "authentic," relationship-based way. And there are many people in between who can be rational, but really only after engaging with them to build relationships first, and then approach them with rational thought and analysis only after trust has been established. Therefore, it's safer to start by approaching everyone in a relationship-based way first. Okay, fair enough.

In a way, it's an indictment of our educational system that people are apparently not taught to be approached in a rational way (as can be seen today on college campuses), but rather have to be coddled emotionally until a friendly relationship is established before a rational thought might be floated toward them. Which would indicate that real education reform might actually be the opposite of what the author is promoting in this book.
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Feb 01, 2018 Lars Plougmann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is an amazingly comprehensive "manual" to consulting. It covers techniques in detail while also discussing mindset and sharing recommendations.

The author's focus is on the process of consulting. The title is derived from this process view: If you followed the process, then you consulted flawlessly, regardless of the outcome. Therein lies a seed of humility: As consultants, we learn, advise, recommend, and encourage action - we do not have the power to guarantee outcomes.

For all the wisdom i ...more

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Apr 26, 2017 Erin Kross rated it did not like it

TLDR

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Oct 03, 2017 Scott Wozniak rated it really liked it

I wish I could give this book five stars--is has that much good content. But it's so formal in style that it reads like a textbook. It's a really, really good textbook, though. If you're someone who helps other people solve problems, whether a traditional consultant or a coach, a teacher or even a leader, then this book has rich insights for you. Be patient and read slowly. Each paragraph has as much content as some chapters do in other books. It will be worth it. ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Jay rated it it was amazing

It is a textbook. However, great book to read for understanding the people within organizations. Recognizing the barriers to success include allowing the tension to build within a conversation to the point of uncomfortable. Then guiding people through the tension with recognition of each silos perspective towards a new balancing point in the dichotomy of leadership and power within an organization is productive.

Or the alternative is watching a few of sharks fight it out while tearing the place, ...more

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Oct 16, 2019 Petras Lenkutis rated it it was amazing

Great book for looking at authentic side of consulting. It contains philosophy with grounding why suggested way of consulting should work based on author experience. Also it contains process in which to conduct consulting that would be both professional and authentic. As my lecturer in a university commented - "a consulting in a humane way". Currently I use this book as a guide to establish my own consulting practice and it sure helps for important things not to slip through my fingers in times ...more

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Feb 11, 2022 Megan rated it really liked it

This book resonated with me and challenged me at the same time. I found many ideas I could apply immediately. I have shared so many of its nuggets of wisdom with others as I have been reading it. It is also evident how her thinking had changed over time and which content is new as part of the second edition.

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Apr 01, 2017 Ann rated it liked it

Read it for work. Decent, relevant to the work we are doing, but not life changing.

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Nov 23, 2021 Alex rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, leadership-and-business

'Flawless Consulting' is the kind of nuts-and-bolts guide every consultant needs to improve every aspect of the process, from scoping the problem to following through months after conclusion.

As a listening experience, it's fine: the narrator is clear and easy to understand, and I was able to listen to this book at around a 2.5x pace. However, this book is meant to be read, to be marked up and tabbed, to be referenced again and again. For those interested in the subject matter, I recommend purcha ...more

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Feb 09, 2019 Fred Rose rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: business-mgmt

I picked up a public policy capstone class to teach this semester and this book was suggested for the students, who are doing consulting projects for government entities (cities, counties, state agencies, etc.). It's fine book, has good basic material and a website for checklists. My primary concern is it is way too expensive (over $60 for a hardcover) for pretty basic information. There isn't anything here you couldn't find elsewhere online. ...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Shyamashree Rudra rated it really liked it

I have to admit that I really liked Peter Block's "Flawless Consulting". This book was originally written in 1978, and then revised in 1998. I expected the book to be dated and irrelevant, but it wasn't. The concepts that Block wrote about many years ago are still very much applicable today.
Having been a consultant for 6 years, I especially liked this book because it focuses on the style of consulting I like (or rather liked!) to do -- improving the capability of the client to find and implemen I have to admit that I really liked Peter Block's "Flawless Consulting". This book was originally written in 1978, and then revised in 1998. I expected the book to be dated and irrelevant, but it wasn't. The concepts that Block wrote about many years ago are still very much applicable today.
Having been a consultant for 6 years, I especially liked this book because it focuses on the style of consulting I like (or rather liked!) to do -- improving the capability of the client to find and implement his/her own solutions. I was especially impressed by the emphasis Block places on how to establish a relationship with the client, as well as defining the assignment. Consultants love to define assignments, but often don't give much thought to the relationship.
The book is also well balanced between the needs of those who are internal consultants as well as external consultants/experts.

A great strength of the book is that there are extensive examples of the same issue so that you can get a good perspective, even if you don't yet have much experience as a consultant. So it is a terrific book for those who are new to consulting. For those of us who have had consulting experience, there is still a lot to learn. The questions and checklists Block provides throughout the book are practically a book by themselves. They are very well designed and address the most important issues. What I especially found useful were the extensive list of ways to diagnose what may be going wrong when the client asks questions or is inactive. I found even more useful the many ingenious responses to those situations that had never occurred to me. I have stumbled into a few successes in my consulting career and can look back and see it is because I applied the concepts of this book - whether by design or accident. Conversely, I can also see some other situations where the application of these concepts would have been very useful.

Block strikes a perfect balance between theory and execution. In fact, there is a lot of both. He backs up his theories with flowcharts, checklists, and even cartoons.

This book is the real deal. Block clearly knows what he is talking about when it comes to organizations and the consulting process. There is no doubt you will be a much improved consultant or manager if you learn and apply the methods in the book. Truly a classic, and a "must have" for anyone who consults, or who hires consultants.
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Apr 10, 2013 Pamela Tucker rated it it was amazing

So far so good, and I think this book is written for professionals who already have competencies for working with people in consulting. I also think if you want to read this book keep in mind this book has a companion book too! The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook & Companion A Guide To Understanding Your Expertise. Peter Block, who has focused attention on consulting skills, empowerment processes, and reclaiming our individuality.

As these books will guide a professional to know all the stages and ...more

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Jan 15, 2016 Jan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Tremendous foundation of experience, but oddly longwinded and rather boring to read cover to cover. Probably much better to have listened to a lecture series by the author. True value probably first to appear when used as point of reference

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Apr 11, 2019 Mark Smith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A dry read for me

This book I found a little dry. It was hard for me to stick with it. But like every book there was value. Insights I had not thought of and refection on my one exprrence and ways to do things differently.

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Jun 09, 2014 Will Mosher added it · review of another edition

If you're already an experienced consultant I'm not sure how useful it would be, but it is a great overview/introduction to the field (and free of "execuspeak"). ...more

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Jan 22, 2022 Sooraj rated it it was amazing

If there is one thing I will take away from this book, it is this: when your passionate ideas are not getting accepted or when you have difficulties convincing or selling, just take a step back, let go your passions and emotions and think: If I were an external consultant instead of an employee or a team member, what would I do?
Considered one of the best books on consulting, I recommend it as a read for all professionals aspiring to be freelance consultants, or working in organizations in adviso If there is one thing I will take away from this book, it is this: when your passionate ideas are not getting accepted or when you have difficulties convincing or selling, just take a step back, let go your passions and emotions and think: If I were an external consultant instead of an employee or a team member, what would I do?
Considered one of the best books on consulting, I recommend it as a read for all professionals aspiring to be freelance consultants, or working in organizations in advisory roles. While the first edition was written in 1980s, the third edition from 2010 has been significantly updated to reflect latest realities - including that today's consultants increasingly have to work virtually, as compared to physically in the past which limits their scope of understanding and influence.
To begin with, Peter Block defines the consultant: It's someone who doesn't have accountability for an outcome. This person has responsibility for advising or recommending solutions to problems, but not for the implementation of the solutions. So a consultant could be a freelancer working for a company, an employee of a consulting company assigned to a client, or an internal consultant of a company working for another department within the same company. The principles are more or less the same. But in that sense a consultant is also not an external to whom the job has been simply outsourced for implementation.
The author then goes on to define the various phases of consulting and the best practices for each phase. Initially, it comes across as a simple valuable checklist, which anyone with good project management skills would be able to follow. In the second half of the book, Peter Block goes into the implementation of the solutions. And here's where the narrative transforms into thought provoking insights. He says that even the best solutions struggle to get implemented because they fail to get the buy-in of the people who are actually supposed to carry out or benefit from the change. And that's why it's important to include the employees affected by the change right from the start, choose the effective over the right, adopt a mindset of learning over teaching, and focus on utilizing strengths over correcting weaknesses. He also provides a couple of real life examples from the areas of healthcare and education where drastic change was achieved. To explain his point, he takes teaching at schools as a consulting exercise which is most difficult, because, the world of teachers is very different from the world of pupils/children etc.
Value for time is good - there are lot of new insights and perspectives. Structure of the chapters is is also good, as the book is sequenced along the various phases of the consulting process. Ease of reading is not the smoothest - editing, usage of words and phrases could have been much better. Sometimes I had to read certain sentences again and again, to understand what was being said. That's the only reason I would take a star back from my final rating.
To summarize, I believe everyone will benefit something out of this, you won't regret the time investment and will come out wiser. ...more

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Jan 22, 2022 Sooraj rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If there is one thing I will take away from this book, it is this: when your passionate ideas are not getting accepted or when you have difficulties convincing or selling, just take a step back, let go your passions and emotions and think: If I were an external consultant instead of an employee or a team member, what would I do?
Considered one of the best books on consulting, I recommend it as a read for all professionals aspiring to be freelance consultants, or working in organizations in adviso If there is one thing I will take away from this book, it is this: when your passionate ideas are not getting accepted or when you have difficulties convincing or selling, just take a step back, let go your passions and emotions and think: If I were an external consultant instead of an employee or a team member, what would I do?
Considered one of the best books on consulting, I recommend it as a read for all professionals aspiring to be freelance consultants, or working in organizations in advisory roles. While the first edition was written in 1980s, the third edition from 2010 has been significantly updated to reflect latest realities - including that today's consultants increasingly have to work virtually, as compared to physically in the past which limits their scope of understanding and influence.
To begin with, Peter Block defines the consultant: It's someone who doesn't have accountability for an outcome. This person has responsibility for advising or recommending solutions to problems, but not for the implementation of the solutions. So a consultant could be a freelancer working for a company, an employee of a consulting company assigned to a client, or an internal consultant of a company working for another department within the same company. The principles are more or less the same. But in that sense a consultant is also not an external to whom the job has been simply outsourced for implementation.
The author then goes on to define the various phases of consulting and the best practices for each phase. Initially, it comes across as a simple valuable checklist, which anyone with good project management skills would be able to follow. In the second half of the book, Peter Block goes into the implementation of the solutions. And here's where the narrative transforms into thought provoking insights. He says that even the best solutions struggle to get implemented because they fail to get the buy-in of the people who are actually supposed to carry out or benefit from the change. And that's why it's important to include the employees affected by the change right from the start, choose the effective over the right, adopt a mindset of learning over teaching, and focus on utilizing strengths over correcting weaknesses. He also provides a couple of real life examples from the areas of healthcare and education where drastic change was achieved. To explain his point, he takes teaching at schools as a consulting exercise which is most difficult, because, the world of teachers is very different from the world of pupils/children etc.
Value for time is good - there are lot of new insights and perspectives. Structure of the chapters is is also good, as the book is sequenced along the various phases of the consulting process. Ease of reading is not the smoothest - editing, usage of words and phrases could have been much better. Sometimes I had to read certain sentences again and again, to understand what was being said. That's the only reason I would take a star back from my final rating.
To summarize, I believe everyone will benefit something out of this, you won't regret the time investment and will come out wiser. ...more

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Jan 07, 2018 Jeff rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Good primer on consulative process with an easy to consume / beginner 5 step process
-When having a consultative meeting you need to pay equal parts focus on the content of the meeting and the emotional side of the meeting
-Foster a collaborative relationship with a client
-Give equal waiting to the business challenge as well as to the people/relationship challenge
-The goal of a collaborative engagement is the transfer of the knowledge to the client
-It's not entirely up to the client to define th ...more

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Oct 21, 2019 Ning-Jia Ong rated it it was amazing

I resonated very well with a lot of what Peter Block talks about. In the first few pages, I have already begun to enjoy how he addresses the problem of clients asking for surrogates - us consultants doing the job of the client instead of doing what we're supposed to do - consulting.

His points on making sure we consultants are aware of our own needs as well as our clients was also very valid. Very often we consultants neglect our own needs for more information, for more commitment, for more cont ...more

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Jul 25, 2019 Kyle Farris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bought

This book was remarkably timely for me, and I believe it is an essential read for anyone who consults or otherwise offers counsel/advice. Peter Block put into words some hard lessons I've learned over the years: "A major objective of every consultation is to encourage you to focus on and value the affective, or interpersonal, aspect of the relationship you have with the client" (p. 14). For some, this may come naturally (and likely to a fault). Some professionals are so focused on the interperso ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Jonathan Hardy rated it really liked it

This is chalk full of great advice and approaches for any interaction where you have a body of work to produce for a client. I'll just share a few of my favorite sentiments:

"Seek for 'Power with' instead of 'Power over.'"

"If you cannot say 'no,' yes has little meaning."

"Manager reassurances do not help because it is a manages job to issue them."

When we come together with a group we put a lot of preparation into presentation but participation is an afterthought. This should be the reverse and par ...more

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May 31, 2020 Simon Lee rated it it was amazing

Block gives a comprehensive and fundamental lesson of delivering good consulting. Rather than just being rational as many did, relationship building and Interpersonal skill is always the key to push through. The right thing to do is to be humble, open and radically transparent throughout the process.

I do recommend this book as it is very down to earth and easy to read. It covers steps and phrases of consulting from contracting, discovery, making decision to implementation. For me, contracting i ...more

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Sep 14, 2020 Cyndie Courtney rated it liked it

Recommended to Cyndie by: Julie Buzby

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobooks

While this book spends most of its time talking about individuals who consult as the job that is on their business card, I found some of the parts of the book where he explains how we might extend similar ideas into other workplaces - such as medicine and education - particularly intriguing. When people ask for our expertise and ultimately we have no control over whether they take it or not - we often fail to take the basic steps to set ourselves up for success or accept the realities with our l ...more

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Apr 07, 2021 Dave Manning rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: consulting

So glad I own this book! I read this from the perspective of someone starting a one-person consultancy (small business OD), who has years in management and teaching. The principles here balance both diagnostic problem-focused OD / consulting and also dialogic possibility-focused OD / consulting. Checklists, examples, commentary, reasoning, anecdotes-- it's all there. The only downside is this book is one I'll have to read, re-read, read again, and probably never succeed at incorporating all of i ...more

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Feb 02, 2019 Chris Esposo rated it liked it · review of another edition

Practical to a T, if you can get around the really bizarre reading style, this is a great first foray into contracting and independent consulting. Covers a lot of important topics like how to size a project and discuss contract deliverables, how to gather information when embedded in client space, and how to direct conversation productively and hear the "indirect messages" made by what is not often said.

Sort of like a guide to being shrewd in corporations. This would be helpful for people both i ...more

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Apr 01, 2020 Alp Oktay rated it really liked it

A very comprehensive consulting book covering various types of work including strategy, staff augmentation, and implementation. The book walks you through the project lifecycles from the sales to post-production and offers a lot to learn or refresh your mind in each chapter. Despite the comprehensive scope, the main focus of the book is on sales and relationship management.

One thing to consider is that, if you’re looking for different consulting methodologies to improve how you actually work, th ...more

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Feb 22, 2021 Jasmine Tan rated it liked it

A man without years of experience wouldn’t be able to write this book. I’m grateful for Peter Block’s generosity, for sharing his learnings and wisdom with us.

Interesting I don’t see this book as a ‘manual’, I find it more useful as a space for me to reflect on my journey and my consulting style. It was pretty dry when I first read it. But with actual consulting practice, the book connected more with me. I got to revisit the way I approach a problem, put it against Block’s perspective, and ponde ...more

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Mar 16, 2018 Jules rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: od

As an organizational consultant, this book was enormously valuable to me and reflects quite a bit of what I see to be true in my work. Consulting is really the 'how' of my work, while organizational diagnosis is the 'what.' Diving into the process of partnering with clients to surface and reflect back challenges and opportunities is fascinating (yes, I am a nerd -- but anything that helps you take more of an objective look at your day to day can be!). Block also makes it approachable, if a bit r ...more

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